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Jenson Button
British |years = - |teams = Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn GP, McLaren |first gp = 2000 Australian Grand Prix |entries = 289 (284 starts) |wins = 15 |pole positions = 8 |fastest laps = 8 |podiums = 5 |career points = 1,214 |drivers' championships = 1 ( ) |final race = 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix}} Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE (born 19 January 1980) is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion. He first drove in Formula One with the Williams team for the 2000 season, and won his first Grand Prix driving for Honda at Hungary in 2006, after 113 races. He went on to win a record-equalling six of the first seven races of the 2009 season for Brawn GP. Biography Pre-Formula One Button began karting at the age of eight, after his father bought him his first kart, and made an extraordinarily successful start. In 1989, aged nine, he came first in the British Super Prix. He won all 34 races of the 1991 British Cadet Kart Championship, along with the title. Further successes followed, including three triumphs in the British Open Kart Championship. In 1997, he won the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup, and also became the youngest driver ever to win the European Super A Championship. Aged 18, Button moved into car racing, winning the British Formula Ford Championship with Haywood Racing; he also triumphed in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch. At the end of 1998, he won the annual McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award. His prize included a test in a McLaren Formula One car, which he received at the end of the following year. Button entered the British Formula Three Championship in 1999, with the Promatecme team. He won three times —at Thruxton, Pembrey and Silverstone—and finished the season as the top rookie driver, and third overall. He finished fifth and second respectively in the Marlboro Masters and Macau Grand Prix, losing out by 0.035 seconds to winner Darren Manning in the latter. Formula One 2000 At the end of 1999, Button had his McLaren test prize at Silverstone, and also tested for the Prost team. A vacant race seat became available at the Williams team, following the departure of Alex Zanardi, and team boss Frank Williams arranged a 'shoot-out' test between Button and Formula 3000 racer Bruno Junqueira, with Button securing the drive. This made him Britain's youngest ever Formula One driver. Button was heavily hyped before his first race: former driver Gerhard Berger described him as a "phenomenon"; the head of his karting team, Paul Lemmens, compared him to Ayrton Senna; and Williams' technical director Patrick Head said he was "remarkably mature and definitely a star of the future". However some had misgivings about his lack of experience and ability to cope with the pressures of Formula One. Making his debut in Australia, Button crashed during practice and qualified second-last on the grid. However, he performed strongly in the race and was set to score a point before his engine failed 11 laps from the finish. A sixth-place finish at the next race in Brazil made him, at the time, the youngest driver ever to score a point. In his first six races, he outqualified his teammate Ralf Schumacher twice, and was consistently close in pace; journalist David Tremayne described Button's start as "the stuff of any team owner's wildest dreams". However, Williams had intended to use Button only until they could exercise their option to buy the highly rated Juan Pablo Montoya out of his contract at Ganassi Racing. A dip in Button's form, combined with Montoya's victory in that year's Indianapolis 500, led to Montoya being announced as his replacement midway through the season. Williams chose not to sell Button's contract, keeping the right to recall him in 2003. He went to Benetton on a two-year loan. Button's best qualification of the season was third place in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps; and his best result was fourth in the German Grand Prix. Despite the worries about his inexperience, he made few mistakes during the season, the most notable coming in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Under safety car conditions Button swerved to avoid the pack which had bunched up, and subsequently crashed into the barrier; he blamed Michael Schumacher who had been leading at the time (and so controlling the pace), and Schumacher apologised for it after the race. Button finished his impressive debut season in eighth place with 12 points (Ralf Schumacher finished fifth with 24). 2001 For 2001, Button partnered experienced driver Giancarlo Fisichella at Benetton, which had recently been purchased by Renault. He endured a dismal season: the Benetton car was very uncompetitive and he was consistently outperformed by his teammate. He finished 17th in the Drivers' Championship with only 2 points, with his best result being fifth place at the German Grand Prix. His poor form led to speculation he would be replaced before the end of the year; team principal Flavio Briatore said, "Either he shows he's super-good or he leaves the top echelon of drivers", and reportedly offered him the chance to walk. Button believed that his inexperience showed as he struggled to help his team set-up a competitive car. His lack of success combined with an extravagant lifestyle led some to dub him a "playboy". 2002 In 2002, Benetton was rebranded as Renault F1, and Jarno Trulli joined to partner Button. Over the winter break, Button spent a lot of time working with his engineering team and felt there was an improved understanding between them; he described himself as "very confident" for the season. He started well: in the opening race of the season in Malaysia, he was on track for his first podium before a suspension problem in the final laps dropped him to fourth place. Button's performances were greatly improved from the previous season's; although often outqualified by Trulli, he showed the faster race pace to outscore his more experienced teammate. Despite Button's performances, and his desire to stay with Renault, it was announced at the French Grand Prix that he would make way in 2003 for test driver Fernando Alonso. Briatore faced criticism for his decision, but stated "time will tell if I am wrong"; he would also accuse Button of being a "lazy playboy". In July, Button signed a two-year contract with a two-year option for British American Racing, partnering 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve. An important factor in his decision was the chance to work with David Richards, the BAR team principal. He finished the season seventh with 14 points, one place and 5 points ahead of Trulli. Spa2002 JensonButton01 1600.jpg|Button at the 2002 Belgian GP 2003 Button faced early hostility from new teammate Villeneuve, who suggested that Button had been hired for his marketing appeal more than his ability, and compared him to a "member of a boy band". Button responded by denying he had anything to prove to Villeneuve; "I am not here to earn Jacques' respect, I am here to win and move the team forward". Their relationship did not improve after the first Grand Prix in Australia: Villeneuve was due to pit, but stayed out an extra lap and pitted when Button was due in, leaving Button waiting in the pit lane while Villeneuve's car was serviced. Villeneuve blamed it on "radio problems", but both Button and team principal David Richards hinted that they did not believe him. Button performed well in the first six races, scoring eight points (the points system had changed that year to award points to the top eight finishers), including fourth place at the Austrian Grand Prix; Villeneuve had scored only three. Button crashed heavily at 185 mph (298 km/h) during Saturday practice in Monaco, briefly knocking him unconscious, and he was detained in hospital overnight. Despite the accident Button still wanted to race, but was withdrawn by his team on medical advice. He also missed a one-day test in Monza, but was cleared to race in the following Grand Prix in Montreal. Button continued to outperform his teammate (although Villeneuve suffered a large number of mechanical problems), and this helped rebuild his previously faltering reputation. Just before the final race in Japan, Villeneuve lost his seat at BAR, so Button was partnered with Takuma Sato; he took his second fourth place for the season, and finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points. 575x459.jpg|Button's Crash at the 2003 Monaco GP 2004 The 2004 season was the first in which Button was the more experienced driver in his team. He was ambitious for the season, saying: "This year I could be a front-runner. We want to run alongside the top teams. I want to be consistently in the points and on the podium." He took his first ever podium in the second race of the season—third-place at the Malaysian Grand Prix—saying afterwards, "There are no words to describe the feeling of your first podium". He followed it up two weeks later with another third-place in Bahrain. In the next race at Imola, he took his first pole position and finished second behind Michael Schumacher. His results for the season were impressive: he took 10 podiums in 18 races, and failed to score points in only three. Button came third in the Drivers' Championship, behind the two utterly dominant Ferrari drivers, and helped BAR to take second in the Constructors' Championship. In August, Button became embroiled in a contract dispute. On 5 August, Button chose to leave BAR and signed a two-year contract to return to Williams. This was surprising, as Button was enjoying his best season to date, while Williams had been struggling. BAR, however, insisted they had the right to exercise their option to keep Button. Button's management argued that the BAR option was not valid because it contained a clause allowing him to leave if BAR risked losing their Honda engines. They felt the new contract signed in the summer for Honda to supply engines to BAR was not definitive, and thus Button was free to move. The dispute went to Formula One's Contract Recognition Board, who ruled in favour of BAR on 20 October, forcing Button to stay with the team. Two of the men at the centre of the dispute were soon removed from their positions: team principal David Richards was replaced by Nick Fry after Honda bought 45 percent of the BAR business; and Button separated from his manager John Byfield, saying he had been badly advised. Jenson button usgp 2004 ontrack.jpg|Button at the 2004 United States GP 2005 Despite the feud, Button insisted he had his team's backing, and was optimistic for the 2005 season. He endured a torrid start: BAR were off the pace in the first race in Australia; and in the following race in Malaysia, both cars retired with engine failure after only three laps. Two weeks later in the Bahrain Grand Prix, Button had fought his way to fourth place from eleventh on the grid, before a clutch problem forced him into another retirement. The poor start only got worse at the San Marino Grand Prix. Button finished third, but after the race scrutineers found his car had a second fuel tank kept inside the main tank; once both were drained, his car was 5.4 kg underweight. Although the race stewards took no action, the FIA appealed against the decision and the case was examined by the FIA International Court of Appeal. It could not be proved that BAR were deliberately cheating; however, for contravention of the rules, both drivers were stripped of their points from San Marino and banned from the next two races. Returning at the European Grand Prix, BAR were still struggling and Button finished tenth. He surprised everyone by taking the second pole position of his career in Montreal, but crashed out on lap 47 of the race while running third. The forced withdrawal of all teams using Michelin tyres, including BAR, at the controversial United States Grand Prix, meant Button and Sato were still yet to score points after nine races of a 19-race season. However, this marked a turning point as Button scored in all of the remaining races. He was on the podium twice in the season—third-place finishes in Germany and Belgium. He finished the season in ninth place with BAR sixth in the Constructors' Championship. For the second year in a row, Button had contract disputes involving BAR and Williams. Button had signed a pre-contract to drive for Williams in 2006, but he now believed his prospects would be better at BAR, and that his Williams contract was not binding. Frank Williams insisted the contract was fully binding, and that there would be "absolutely no turning back"; his team required Button to fulfil some contractual obligations with sponsors. After several weeks of talks, Williams agreed to release Button in exchange for an estimated £18 million in compensation. BAR brought in experienced driver Rubens Barrichello from Ferrari to partner Button, replacing Takuma Sato. In October, Honda bought the remaining 55 percent of BAR from British American Tobacco, renaming the team Honda Racing F1; Button said at the time, "Honda buying the team is amazing news and really shows their commitment to winning the world championship". Jenson Button 2005 Canada 2.jpg|Button at the 2005 Canadian GP 2006 The new team performed well in testing prior to the 2006 season, helped by the extra resources now available from Honda, and Button was confident in the car. The early part of the 2006 season proved difficult; at the first round, he scored five points with 4th place, and finished on the podium in Malaysia. In Australia, he qualified on pole, but was overtaken on the run to the first corner by Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen after a safety car period; he was running 5th in the race, before his engine blew at the last corner on the last lap. He stopped short of the finish line to avoid an engine penalty. At his home race at Silverstone, he qualified 19th after he lost time being weighed, and his team failed to get him on track quickly enough. He spun off on lap eight due to an engine oil leak. At the Canadian Grand Prix, Button out-qualified Barrichello for the first time since Imola, but finished outside the points in ninth. He retired at the United States Grand Prix, in a first lap collision involving several drivers and again at the French Grand Prix due to an engine failure. At the German Grand Prix, Button was again pulled into the weighbridge, but went on to qualify fourth. After running third for a while in the race, Button eventually finished fourth. Button took the first win of his career in 2006 at a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix – the 113th Grand Prix start of his career. He started 14th after a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change. The race was badly affected by heavy rain, and Button passed a number of drivers in the early laps – including championship contender Michael Schumacher – and was up to fourth by lap 10. Following the retirement of leading drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, he went on to win the race by just over half a minute from Pedro de la Rosa and Nick Heidfeld. Alonso was behind Button on the racetrack when he retired, although Button still had one pitstop to make. Button's win bettered Nigel Mansell's 1989 win from 12th on the grid at the Hungaroring. Button was the first British driver to win since David Coulthard in March 2003, and the first English driver to win since Johnny Herbert won the 1999 European Grand Prix. He was the second driver after Räikkönen to win a race despite a grid penalty for changing an engine. At the British Academy Television Awards 2007, Button's first win earned ITV1 a BAFTA under the category of 'Best Sport'. Button finished fourth or fifth at each of the next five races and finished the season with a podium finish at the final round in Brazil. Over the last six races of the season, Button scored more points (35) than any other driver. Jensonbutton honda hungaroring 20061.jpg|Button celebrates his first win at the 2006 Hungarian GP 2007 In 2007, Button again competed with Honda alongside Barrichello. He was unable to take part in winter testing, prior to the season because of two hairline fractures to his ribs, sustained in a karting incident in late 2006. Former British world champion Damon Hill aired doubts over Button's hopes to be a championship contender at Honda over the coming season, saying, "if he is serious... he has to get himself in a car that is a championship contender." Alan Henry writing in The Guardian 2007 F1 season guide, predicted: "Button will win a couple more races but is not a title contender." He was proved to be wrong, as the Honda RA107 proved to be aerodynamically poor. At the first race of the season in Australia, Button only managed to qualify 14th after handling problems. The race was no better, as he endured considerable understeer throughout, was given a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and finished 15th. The next two races in Malaysia and Bahrain were just as unsuccessful, Button finishing 12th behind team-mate Barrichello in Malaysia, and not even completing a lap in Bahrain, after colliding with Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard at Turn 4. At the French Grand Prix, Button finished eighth, earning his and Honda's first point of 2007. Following the British Grand Prix, it was announced that Button would remain with Honda for 2008. As Button's place as the pre-eminent British driver in Formula One was effectively taken by Lewis Hamilton, former champion Nigel Mansell criticised Button, saying: "Jenson should have won more races, he has under-performed and that is down to him." Honda team boss Nick Fry defended his driver, saying: "I would refute everything Nigel has said, and particularly I think his comments about Jenson's reputation for partying are about five years out of date...his increasing maturity and the way he changed his lifestyle is extremely noticeable." Button made no secret of his frustration regarding his current situation; he described his 2007 season as "a total disaster". Button did, however, record several impressive outings towards the end of the season, especially when rain was prominent. Jenson Button 2007 Belgium.jpg|Button at the 2007 Belgian GP 2008 Button stayed with Honda for 2008, and continued to be partnered by Barrichello. The Honda RA108 proved to be uncompetitive, and he scored his only points at the Spanish Grand Prix with 6th place, but did not finish in the wet in front of his home crowd at Silverstone, where Barrichello finished third. On 5 December 2008, Honda announced that they were quitting Formula One, due to the global economic crisis, leaving Button's chances of a drive in 2009 dependent on the team finding a buyer. 2009 : Main Article: Jenson Button/2009 Season Following the withdrawal of Honda from the sport in December 2008, he was left without a drive for the 2009 season, until Ross Brawn led a management buyout of the team in February 2009, and Button suddenly found himself in a highly competitive, Mercedes-engined car. He went on to win a record-equalling six of the first seven races of the 2009 season, securing the World Drivers' Championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix, having led on points all season; his success also helped Brawn GP to secure the World Constructors' Championship. 2010'' Following the buy-out of Brawn by Mercedes, Button announced on 18 November 2009 that he would be leaving the team to move to McLaren for the 2010 season. He signed a three-year deal for a reported £6 million per season to drive alongside former world champion Lewis Hamilton. After a seventh place finish in the opening round in Bahrain, Button won the second race in Australia from fourth on the grid. Button was the first to come in for slick tyres on a damp but drying track, which lifted him to second place after the other drivers had pitted. He inherited the lead when Vettel retired with brake problems and maintained his lead to the end without changing his tyres again. His victory made him the thirteenth driver in Formula One history to have won Grands Prix for at least three different constructors. Button went on to win his second race of the season from fifth on the grid in China, by staying on slick tyres while most of the other drivers pitted for intermediates, he was promoted to second place. However, the rain did not come, and the other drivers had to pit again for dry tyres. Button then finished second in Turkey after Red Bull teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, who were leading the race, collided with each other. The second place promoted Button to second overall in the Championship, just behind Webber. In Canada he followed up this result and remained second in the Championship, 3 points behind his teammate Hamilton. At the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Button finished 3rd and maintained 2nd place in the title race with another podium. Button missed out on a podium at the British Grand Prix, finishing fourth after problems with the balance off his car in qualifying had left him fourteenth. After three further-points scoring finishes, Button retired at the Belgian Grand Prix after being hit by Vettel and punctured the radiator of his car. Second at Monza was followed by a fourth place in both Singapore and Japan. During the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Button and his entourage were threatened by a number of gunmen on his way back from qualifying at Interlagos, although nobody was harmed during the incident. Button was mathematically eliminated from retaining his championship title with a fifth place in the race. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Button qualified fourth, moving up to third in the race securing fifth place in the championship with 214 points. Button Australia 2010 2 (cropped).jpg|Button won his second race for McLaren, the 2010 Australian GP Button 2010 China.jpg|Button wins the 2010 Chinese GP Jenson Button 2010 Belgium.jpg|Button at the 2010 Belgian GP 2011 2011 began slowly for Button and McLaren, with Vettel dominating the early races. Button came second in Malaysia, and third in Spain and Monaco, losing the chance for a race win in the latter race after a red flag in the closing laps allowed Vettel and Alonso to change tyres. Two weeks later in Canada, Button took what he called the "best win of (his) career", overtaking Vettel on the final lap after Vettel made a mistake under pressure. Button made five pit-stops, had his teammate crash into him, served a drive-through penalty for speeding under the safety car – dropping him to last place – as well as sustaining a puncture from a collision with Alonso, and made 27 on-track passes to win the longest Formula One race in history. Button suffered his first retirement of the season at the British Grand Prix, caused by an error at his final pit stop. The wheel gun failed to refit the wheel nut and Button was released by the pit crew with an unsecured wheel. At the German Grand Prix, he retired in consecutive races for the first time since 2008, due to hydraulic issues. Button won his 200th Formula One race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he had won his first Grand Prix in 2006. Button finished third in Belgium, having qualified in 13th after a miscommunication with his team, after overtaking Alonso with two laps to go. He finished second at both Monza. In Singapore, Button chased Vettel who was in the lead with a few laps to go, closing at over a second a lap, but at the final moment, traffic denied him the chance to take first. After Singapore he moved into second place in the Drivers' Championship, and he became the only driver that could deny Vettel a second consecutive title. Prior to the Japanese Grand Prix, Button signed a multi-year contract extension with McLaren. The new deal will earn Button £85 million. He took victory in the race ahead of Alonso and Vettel, the latter becoming champion. At the Indian Grand Prix McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh stated that the length of Button's new contract was 3 years. Button qualified fourth for this race and elevated himself to second position on the first lap, overtaking Alonso at the turn one and Webber on the long back straight. He eventually finished second behind Vettel, whose race pace he had been unable to match. In Abu Dhabi, Button qualified third and also finished in third after teammate Hamilton won the race and pole-sitter Vettel suffered a puncture on lap 1 and retired with suspension damage. Button suffered a recurring KERS problem for a large part of the race, but still had a good gap between himself and fourth placed man Webber, as well as an almost equal gap to second placed Alonso in front. These results ensured that Button was the first teammate to outscore Lewis Hamilton in a season. At the final race of the season – the Brazilian Grand Prix, Button outqualified Hamilton to start third on the grid and he also finished third – in both occasions behind the two Red Bull cars – by overtaking Alonso on lap 62. The result secured second place in the Championship for Button, some 122 points behind Vettel. McLaren mp4-26 Button 2011 Canadian GP.jpg|Button at the 2011 Canadian GP Jenson Button 2011 Japan Race.jpg|Button at the 2011 Japanese GP 2012 Button remaind at McLaren for the 2012 season, again partnering Hamilton. Button qualified second to Hamilton, before going on to win the first race of the season in Australia. Button went on to qualify second to Hamilton again at the following race in Malaysia, however he finished 14th after a collision with the HRT of Narain Karthikeyan and a lack of grip. This was Button's first non-points finish since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix and it ended a points streak which started at the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix. He went on to pick up his first pole position for over three years at Belgium. Button won the race becoming the first driver of the season to lead every lap of a Grand Prix. Button qualified in second place behind his team-mate at the Italian Grand Prix, and remained in second place until he had to pull up and retire with a fuel pressure problems two-thirds of the way through the race. He picked up his third win of the season at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix in changeable conditions after a battle for the lead with Nico Hülkenberg and teammate Hamilton. Button dropped back from the two halfway through the race but they then collided, with Hamilton retiring and Hülkenberg being forced to pit, Button was able to pick up his 15th career victory. He ended up finishing 5th in the championship, just a few points behind his teammate. Button 2012 F1 GP of Australia.jpg|Button won the opening round at Australia Button 2012 Brazil.jpg|Button took his final win at the 2012 Brazilian GP 2013 2014 2015 Helmet Design Jenon Button's helmet design features the colours of the Union Jack (Red, White and Blue) On the back it features the british flag and on the sides features the letters JB for Jenson Button. For the 2009 season Jenson changed the colours of his helmet to match those of the Brawn GP team. (White, Green and Black). Button helmet 2009.gif|2009 Helmet Design Button 2010 helmet.gif|2011 Helmet Design Complete Formula One results (key) (Races in '''bold' indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance. References #http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenson_Button #http://www.statsf1.com/en/jenson-button.aspx Category:Drivers Category:BAR Drivers Category:Benetton Drivers Category:Brawn GP Drivers Category:British drivers Category:Honda Drivers Category:McLaren Racing Drivers Category:Renault Drivers Category:Williams F1 Drivers Category:World Champions